About Johor Bahru
Johor Bahru (also common known as Johor Baru, Johore Bahru, Johor Baharu) was founded in 1855 by Temenggung Daeng Ibrahim and a famous Chinese businessman by the name of Wong Ah Fook. Originally named Tanjung Puteri, Sultan Abu Bakar gave Johor Bahru its present name in 1866, where “Bahru” in Malay means “New”.
A major milestone was achieved in 1st Jan 1994, when Johor Bahru was granted the City status. Dataran Bandaraya was constructed as a proclamation of the City status. Currently the capital city of Johor, Johor Bahru is also the second largest urban city in the country, after Kuala Lumpur.
In its own right, Johor Bahru has developed economically since attaining the city status. Due to its proximity to Singapore, comparisons between the 2 cities abound. While there are the occasional tensions, both cities compliment each other in economic development. For example, Johor Bahru supplies fresh water and labour to Singapore while Singaporeans flock to Johor Bahru during the weekend for leisure and shopping due to the lower cost of living.
Crime rate is still high in Johor Bahru with frequent occurrence of petty thefts and burglary. Notorious crimes like kidnapping also make the headline news every other month. Bribery of Traffic Police officers used to be common but the situation has improved slightly in recent years.
Iskandar Malaysia is the latest development project in Johor Bahru. This is a government initiative with a comprehensive plan aimed to catapult Johor Bahru onto the global stage. Notwithstanding the criticism for the slow pace the project is moving, it still represents a hope for Johoreans towards a better standard of living.
Attractions in Johor Bahru includes the following domains: shopping, food, sights and nature. Mid-High range hotels are aplenty, and to a comfortable and cosy standard.
Currently, there are about 1 million people residing or living in Johor Bahru, with an average of 150,000 Johoreans making their way across the bridge to Singapore everyday. For retirement in Johor Bahru, “Malaysia, My Second Home (MM2H)” is a scheme by the Malaysian Government to encourage more foreigners to retire in Malaysia, with the aim of boosting the economy of Malaysia.
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